Thick lamb skewers and life-changing guobaorou near Gwangju Songjeong

Lamb skewer daze~

A 'real' lamb skewer place near Gwangju Songjeong Station

Did you know there's a genuinely authentic lamb skewer spot near Gwangju Songjeong Station?

The moment I saw a face on the sign, I knew this place was the real deal. It seemed like a real neighborhood favorite among locals too — families, friends, couples on dates, all kinds of people were there! I'm someone who loves lamb skewers, and I can't believe I'm only finding out about this place now ㅠ what a waste of life ㅠ

What we ordered for three, and the prices

Since it seemed like the signature lamb skewers were the real star, the three of us ordered 3 servings of the signature grilled lamb skewers (10 skewers, ₩16,000) and guobaorou (₩20,000) — two dishes total!

The moment we walked in, I could feel the aura of 'this place cannot possibly taste bad.' While waiting for the menu, the smell of skewers grilling at other tables and the sound of frying from the kitchen had me internally screaming hurry hurry,, haha

Here's how the basic side dishes came out :) You can get refills at the self-serve corner!

From Chinese liquor to daoxiaomian, the menu lineup

By the counter, there was a wide array of Chinese liquors on display. No wonder they're the real deal when it comes to drinking — the menu is absolutely insane,,

Daoxiaomian (hand-shaved noodle) dishes, stir-fries — these menus really give off authentic, homeland flavors :0 If we hadn't already had a lunch work dinner, we would've eaten even more, ugh. We decided we absolutely have to come back for the lunch special menu ><

The thick-cut signature lamb skewers

The food came out in under 5 minutes, and the first thing that caught my eye the moment we got it was the massive pile of skewers ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Jangbaeksan's lamb skewers weren't small finely-cut pieces — they were skewered in thick, hearty chunks! The seasoning was also pretty thoroughly rubbed in (?) ><

Once again feeling grateful to whoever invented this grilling machine, all you have to do is load the skewers on carefully and enjoy zoning out watching the lamb skewers grill

Watching the fat drip, the smoke rise from the charcoal, and catching that cooking aroma is pure happiness — and the second the outside turns golden brown from the charcoal grill!!! that's your cue to lift it up!

The golden ratio for cumin seasoning

Seasoning matters so much for lamb skewers too! To briefly introduce it — from left to right, that's cumin, chili seed powder, and fine chili powder!

My favorite ratio is 2 parts chili seed powder, 2 parts cumin, 1 part chili powder. It's a secret, but I'll tell you 🤫 Cumin's flavor is definitely love-it-or-hate-it, but once you get into it, it's seriously delicious. Our cumin especially has this little pop-pop texture you can bite into, which adds a fun contrast to the soft texture of the lamb. Can you hear how genuine I am about this ㅠ But if you're not really into spices, the meat alone is plenty delicious too!👍👍

I mixed it up like this and ate it, and yep, it's delicious😎❤️ Totally worthy of putting a face on the sign 😆 If you find yourself checking out other menu items while eating, that's proof it's the real deal. That's exactly what happened to us,, we were already full but kept flipping back through the menu thinking about ordering onmyeon (warm noodle soup) too, deciding we must come back for lunch, wondering what daoxiaomian was all about, eyeing the ganpungi (crispy sweet and spicy chicken) looking delicious, going back and forth, considering, giving up, and mourning our tiny stomachs

How did the lamb skewers taste?

Anyway, the most important part — the meat's flavor! There was absolutely zero gamey smell 🌟 I accidentally grilled one skewer a bit too hard, but even that piece was still tender to chew,, I was a little sad we didn't get to try the onmyeon, but the meat wasn't overly greasy, and the seasoning combined with the spices wasn't overpowering — it had a flavor that made you crave the next skewer🤤 This review really shows how much I enjoyed it. And now I'm getting embarrassed about it,, yep,,

Why I'm calling this the guobaorou of my life

Next up is the guobaorou. I've ordered mala tang and guobaorou for late-night work dinners with coworkers multiple times recently, and every time it felt slightly lacking, you know? But this guobaorou is the guobaorou of my life. Case closed.

The sweet and tangy aroma was so strong and I loved it so much ㅠㅠ Sometimes you get guobaorou that's just sweet with no tang, or soggy instead of chewy, or not crispy at all — but this place nailed that distinct vinegar aroma, bam! chewiness, bam! and crispiness on top of that, bam! Aroma, flavor, texture — all of it delivered 🫠🩷 Naturally, I got curious about trying the ganpungi too. If they're this good with sauces and fried food, imagine how good that would be, ugh.

You can see how generous the portion is, right? The sauce was so plentiful it was still there down to the last piece👍 The vegetables used as garnish stayed crisp all the way through, and they tasted even better eaten together. This is truly the guobaorou of my life😎✨️ It's ₩20,000, but the portion is so generous that a few pieces were left over, and we were all like 'it'd be a waste to leave it, we'll think about it later if we do, you eat it, no you eat it' ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Why it's great to go with a group

As I mentioned earlier, this place doesn't just serve lamb skewers — they also have a variety of other Chinese dishes like mala tang and mala xiangguo, so if you visit with a group, it seems like it would be great to order a variety of dishes and share them ><

I get a little embarrassed because I talk so much whenever food is good, but I really want to recommend this place both to people who already love lamb skewers and to people who aren't really into it but want to give it a try 🙏🙏 Ate so well again today :)

Overall review

• You can enjoy thick, tender lamb skewers in generous portions
• The menu is so varied that it's great for picking and choosing
• Lamb skewers with no gamey smell and tenderness, plus guobaorou that nails aroma, flavor, and texture
• Would revisit ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.8 / 5

Restaurant info

• Jangbaeksan Yangkkochi Songjeong · 20 Songjeong-ro 1beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• Hours: Wed–Mon 11:25–24:00 / Tue (1st & 3rd week) 16:00–24:00, last order 23:30
• Closed Tuesdays on the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month
• On-site parking available, restroom available